Pink Martini joins the Colorado Symphony 4/6

April 1, 2011 - PRLog -- Pink Martini - the band that personifies a glamorous Hollywood sensibility that has captivated audiences around the world - will join the Colorado Symphony for one-night-only on Wednesday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. With their unique blend of Latin, jazz, cabaret, samba and classical music, Pink Martini has become the red hot ticket for the ultimate retro-lounge experience. According to Thomas Lauderdale, Pink Martini bandleader/pianist, "Pink Martini is a rollicking around-the-world musical adventure ... if the United Nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we'd be that band." Tickets are on sale now for this concert event led by resident conductor Scott O'Neil.

"Pink Martini draws inspiration from the romantic Hollywood musicals of the 1940s or '50s ... with a more global perspective," continued Lauderdale. "We write a lot of songs ... but we also champion songs like Ernesto Lecuona's 'Andalucía 'or 'Amado mio' from the Rita Hayworth film "Gilda" or 'Kikuchiyo to mohshimasu' (My name is Kikuchiyo),made famous in the 1960s by the great Japanese group Hiroshi Wada & His Mahina Stars. In that sense we're a bit like musical archeologists, digging through recordings and scores of years past and rediscovering beautiful songs."

Founded in 1994 in Portland, Oregon, Pink Martini has twelve musicians, and performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Australia and New Zealand and North America.

The band made its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998 under the direction of Norman Leyden. Since then, the band has gone on to play with more than 25 orchestras around the world, including multiple engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Pops, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center and the BBC Concert Orchestra in London.

Pink Martini's debut album "Sympathique" was released independently in 1997 and quickly became an international phenomenon. Pink Martini released "Hang On Little Tomato" in 2004, "Hey Eugene!" in 2007 and "Splendor In The Grass" in 2009. In November 2010, the band released "Joy To The World" - a festive, multi-denominational holiday album featuring songs from around the globe. All five albums have gone gold in France, Canada, Greece and Turkey, and have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.

In May 2009, the band recorded three concerts with the Oregon Symphony under the direction of Carlos Kalmar for the band's fifth album, a symphonic record to be released in late 2011/early 2012.

Praise for Pink Martini
"Pink Martini represents all that Toronto aspires to - sophistication, cosmopolitanism, and a type of delight that sometimes involves dressing up and carousing ... with its heterogeneous tastes and facility in languages, the pop orchestra might have sprung from our own diverse metropolis, but hails instead from Portland, Oregon." - Toronto Star, March 2008

"Pink Martini definitely is an original force in contemporary music even as it basks in eclectic nostalgia. It also bridges, better than any band in recent memory, the high-brow/pop culture divide." - The Washington Times, June 2005

Tickets:
Remaining tickets start from $42. Tickets are on sale now at www.coloradosymphony.org, the Colorado Symphony Box Office: (303) 623-7876 or (877) 292-7979 or in-person in the lobby of Boettcher Concert Hall in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Hours are Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Artists:
Colorado Symphony
Scott O'Neil, resident conductor
Pink Martini
China Forbes, vocals
Thomas M. Lauderdale, piano
Robert Taylor, trombone
Gavin Bondy, trumpet
Brian Lavern Davis, congas, drums and percussion
Derek Rieth, percussion
Martín Zarzar, drums
Phil Baker, bass
Timothy Nishimoto, vocals and percussion
Nicholas Crosa, violin
Dan Faehnle, guitar

Performances:
ONE NIGHT ONLY! Wednesday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m.


About the Colorado Symphony
The region's only full-time professional orchestra, the Colorado Symphony embraces a tradition of musical excellence by presenting a wide variety of symphonic performances. Established in 1989 as the successor to the Denver Symphony, the Colorado Symphony is Colorado's only resident orchestra composed of professional musicians employed to play symphonic music on a full-time basis. From classical repertoire to innovative new forms, the Symphony performs in Boettcher Concert Hall and throughout the Front Range presenting outstanding education and outreach programs, and free summer parks concerts in addition to season-long Masterworks, Pops, Holiday, Family and "Inside the Score" series. Presenting music that is timeless and performing in ways that are forever new - the Colorado Symphony exists to bring music to life. Full of energetic new programs, exciting guest artists and a brand new roster of guest conductors from around the globe, the 2010/11 season offers something for everyone. For more information about the Colorado Symphony, visit www.coloradosymphony.org.

Media Contact:
Margaret A. Williams
Office: 303.308.2472
Mobile: 808.551.6062
mwilliams@coloradosymphony.org

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Colorado Symphony is the region’s only full-time professional orchestra, performing in dowtown Denver at Boettcher Hall and across the Front Range. Presenting timeless music performed in new ways, the Colorado Symphony brings music to life.